Underit Youth Group, an implementing partner of USAID through the Electoral Conflict Mitigation and Civic Voter Education Support (ECCES) program has partnered with Nandi South Sub County registration bureau to register youths for national Identity Cards in a bid to enhance their participation in democratic processes.
The group, which has been running this project for a period of two years in the Aldai constituency, has been supporting the youths and women in democratic processes as a way to make them take part in such processes and therefore ensure their issues are well addressed.
Speaking during their fourth registration session held at Koyo Ndurio Chief’s office grounds, Underit Youth Group (UYG) coordinator Jacob Sanga divulged that while carrying out their ECCES program they realized that a greater percentage of women and youths in rural areas do not take part in governance issues due to lack of National Identity cards.
Sanga noted that during their assessment they discovered that many married women in rural areas had no Identity cards, adding that cases of late registration were also rampant in rural areas, the more reason they came up with the program of partnering with the registration bureau to bring services close to them.
“Today we mark a milestone in terms of supporting the youths. We have been moving to villages where people lack access to these services to support women and youth participation in governance issues.
However, we realised that some youths have not realised the importance of having vital documents like the Identity Cards,” noted the coordinator, adding that there is still need to support communities in rural areas to access such services to ensure majority of youths and women take part in democratic processes.
Nandi South Sub County registrar of persons Josphat Musuli observed that an Identity card is an essential document that is required in several fields among them when seeking for a loan, jobs, businesses opening bank accounts, and even security purposes.
Musuli lauded UYG for their support in initiating a mobile registration revealing that through that program the sub-county office had managed to reach more people especially the youths and women who underrate such an essential document.
“Registration of persons is the work of the national registration bureau, however, due to financial constraints we are unable to take our services to the interior villages. As an office we commend UYG for their partnership,” pointed out Musuli, adding that for those applying for the first time, a person is required to pay Sh300 for replacements, Sh1000 for change of particulars Sh1000 and for searches for those who do not have their ID numbers Sh1000.
UYG project officer, Francis Ng’eny observed that most people ignore the idea of acquiring national identity cards on time due to the distance, where the services are offered, which poses a financial challenge to them.
“In our mobile sessions in the rural areas we have managed to register 441 people in this sub County as of today,” pointed Ng’eny, adding that according to most youths and women, they find it expensive to travel to and from the sub County headquarters or Huduma centers at the County Headquarters, where the services are offered.
By Ruth Mainye
